Lead-pencil.



C. R. KEERAN.

LEADPENCIL. `1 APPLICATION FILED DCT. 28, 1914.

Patented Aug. 24, i915.v

Chai/@sjeeran CHARLES R. KEERAN, OF L BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS.

y LEAD-PENCIL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 28, 1914. Serial No. 869,104.

To all whom t mag/'concern Be it known thatl, CHARLES R. KEERAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomington, inthe county of McLean and State of Illinois"have invented certain new and useful Improvements in`Lead-Pencils,

of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates more. particularly to that type of pencil capableof receiving independent leads; in .other Words that type provided with a permanent body or holder in Which individual leads are placed from time to time as needed, which leads are fed out from the body by suitable mechanism operable at Will by the user, and deals more particularly with 4the construction and arrangement of that portion of the pencil known asthe clutch or tip which lies at the outer end of the body and prevents the lead from falling out therefrom.

The objects of the invention are to provide a'clutch or tip for the above described type of pencil which will be effective to keep the lead from falling out of the body or wabbling therein and at the same time the action of the clutch will not subject the lead to any undue pressure which would tend to break it.

A further object of the invention is to provide a clutch ,which is simple of manufacture and which when installed in the pencil will be effective for a long period of time. In fact several years of ordinary use would not impair its utility.l

A Jfurther object of the invention is to so form the tip as to give a iii-n1 substantial bearing for the lead adjacent to the end of the tip eliminating the breaking of the lead.

A further object of the invention is to so construct the tip as. to not in any way impair the movement ot' the lead in and out of the pencil body when such movement is desired.

The invention further consists in the teal tures of 'construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a sectional view of a body of a lead pencil equipped with the tip of the present invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged section ot' the tip and the outer endrof the body and Fig. 3 is an end View of said tip.

ln the art to which the present invention relates, namely, that type of pencil employing a permanent body into which independmarily concerned with.

ent leads may be placed from time to time and fed outward from the body by suitablev mechanism as the lead wears away, means 'must be provided to keep the lead from falling out of the body and to Aprevent the lead from wabbling within the body, andA such pencils are usually formed witha clutch at the outer end of the body for. preventing eat-enten Aug. 24, 1915..

movement ofthe leadl and it is this clutch feature which the present invention is pri- Referring' to the drawings, and particularly to Fig. 1, the device is shown as applied to a pencil body 4 which is formed with an outer shell or casing 5 which is tapered at the outer end thereof as at 6. v Suitable mechanism is provided within the interior of the shell 5 for feeding` the lead outward. The 'feed mechanism illustrated is substantially the s me as shown in Patent No. 1,130,741, issued to me March 9, 1915, for lead pencils, although the particular type of lead feeding mechanism is immaterial so far as the present invention is concerned, as

is also the shape and size ot' the pencil body.

The tip oi' the present invention is formed from an elongated metallic member T formed with an axial bore 8 and in the construction shown this tip terminates at one end in a head 9 and is tapered at its opposite end down to a point 10. Adjacent the point of the pencil are formed a series of longitudinal extending ribs 11 which are of a minute nature hardly larger in practice than the size oi' a hair and resemble in this respect the riliing ot' a gun barrel.

One method of manufacturing the clutch of the present invention is to rst take the member 7 and drill a hole 12 therein for a major portion of its length which hole is slightly larger than the size of the lead employed. This hole does not extend clear to the outer end of the clutch and the bore in the outer end is initially made slightly smaller than the size of the lead. A tapered Lsize of the reduced portion of the bore is substantially the same size as the lead. It is obvious that `as the lead is forced out from thevend of the pencil the ribs 11 will act to cut into the lead slightly and will, therefore, have a biting engagement with kthe lead',

holding the lead in a manner to4 prevent Wabbling and retarding a movement vof the lead out from the pencil. Owing to the fact that the Iribs 11 are constantly working against a body of a graphitenature, which is a form of lubricant, the ribs will not Wear down rapidly during usage and will be efficient for their intendedpurpose for a very long period of time, several years in fact.

In the construction shown the member 7 is formed in tivo parts 14 and 15, the part M includes the head 9 and this part terminates in a cavity formed with an interior threaded surface. The other part 15 contains the clutch mechanism and this portion terminates at the inner end in a threaded stem 16, the threads of which engage with' the threaded surface on the member 14. Of course this method of joining the two sections together' is not deemedto be a limita 'tion on the invention, and 1n fact 1n this,

and other respects the invention is not limited beyond the limitations imposed by the terms of the appended claims.

In assembling the pencil the portion 15 of the tip is first dropped into position, and then by means of a small quality of solder' 16*iL is held against any movement. The portion 14 terminates in the head 9, which in turn abuts against a fixed part in the interior of the pencil.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the clutch oi' thc present invention is of a veryl'simple nature having no parts which would be liable to get out of order and impair its efficiency, and that it will have a positive biting engagement with the lead which will efiiciently retard outward movement of the lead and a wabbling of the same. This .latter feature is particularly desirable since in a pencil where a wabbly point 'is present it has a very annoying effect on the user, and this wabbling is probably the greatest single objection to which pencils vso of the type involved in the present application, are subjected. y

It is to be noted that in the present invention that although a biting engagement with the lead is obtained, it is nevertheless, not sufficient to cut into the lead in a manner to so weaken it as to lay it liable to break4 lge by reason of such weakening.

Another highly desirable effect obtained by these ribs 11 is that they preventthe lead rotating on its axis. If the lead is free to do this'it has a tendency to wear vflat on one 'side of-the point.

I claim: y

1'v A pencil comprising a casing, means t'or feeding the lead through the casing with a non-rotatable rectilinear movement-longitudinally of itself, a non-expansible tip at the outer end of the casing formed 'with a bore to receive a lead, a protuberance extending inward from the wall of said bore and lying-in a direction longitudinally of the lead andadapted to biteinto the/lead as the lead is fed through the bore, substantially as described.

2. A pencil comprising a. casing, means for feeding the lead through the casing with a nonrotatable rectilinear movement longi-v tudinally .of itself, a non-expansible tip at the outer end of the casing formed to 1eceive a lead, a seriesfof ribs depending in# Ward from the walls ogbs'aid bore and lying in a direction longitudinally of the lead and arranged to bite into the lead as the lead is forced through the bore, substantially as described.

3. A pencil comprising a casing, means for feeding the lead through the casing with a non-rotatable rectilinear movement'longitudinally of itself, a non-expansiblevtip at,A

the outer end of the casing formed with a Vbore to receive a lead, a protuberance extending inward from the wall of said bore and arranged at the outer end of said bore and lying in a direction longitudinally of the lead., said protuberan'ces being arranged to bite "into the lead as the lead is fed through the tip, substantially as described.

4. A pencil comprisinga casing, means for feeding the lead through the casing with a non-rotatable rectilinear movement longitudinally of itself, .a nonexpansible tip for the outer end of the casing formed with a bore to receive a lead, a series of ribs extending 'inwardly from the wall of said bore l a non-rotatable rectilinear movement longitudinally of itself, a non-expansible tip for the outer end of the casing formed with a bore to receive a lead,said'bore being en-v larged at 'its inner end' to a size greater than the size of the lead and reduced at its vouter the lead, the walls of the reduced portion of the bore being conigured'to provide a pro. tuberance yextending inwardly therefrom,"

' and lying` in a direction longitudinally of 12ov i 12B end to a size approximatelyv equal the size of Y thc lead, and arranged to bite into the lead as the lead is fed through the bore, sublsfantially as described.

6. pencil comprising a casing, means VI'or feedingr the lead through the casing with a non-rotatable rectilinear movement longitudinally of itself, a nen-expansible tip for the outer end of the caing formed with a boreto receive a lead, said bore being enlarged at its inner end to a size greater than the size of the lead and reduced at its outer end to a size approximately equal to lthe size of the lead, a series of ribs inwardly ex tending from the Walls of the reduced portion of the bore and arranged to lie in a direction longitudinally of the lead and acting to bite into the lead as the lead is forced through the bore, substantially, as described.

K CHARLES R. KEERAN. Witnesses:

IRIS N. EYER, VILLIAM K. BRACKEN. 

